Happy ever afters don't always happen
by I will never be loved
Summary: A collection of Gruvia oneshots. Story three: When it Rains Part one : Over the years, Gray learns what the rain can bring. A three part short story
1. Meet me under the sycamore tree

**Meet me under the sycamore tree**

**_Summary: "Promise me that ten years from now, no matter what happens, we'll find a way to meet again. Right here, under this sycamore tree."_**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy tail.**

_"Old promises are left behind,"_

_ Anonymous_

"Gray," a woman's voice says, tugging on my sleeve. "Where are you going?" she asks, suspiciously, tapping her fingers on a clipboard.

"Sorry Lucy," I tell her and hang up my uniform white coat on its usual hook behind the door. "I'll be skipping work for a few days."

"Why?" she demands, probably annoyed that I've left all the paperwork to her.

"I have someone I need to meet," is all I say. With that, I leave a confused nurse alone with mountains of paperwork. How she must hate me now.

By now, you must be wondering who I am. My name is Gray Fullbuster, I'm the chief of surgery in Fairy Tail hospital where, I quote, _we make magic happen. _My appearance is not out of the ordinary, I have wild black hair and my eyes are somewhat droopy. I have a buff build but am lean at the same time. Time and time again I have been told that I am more suited to be a model rather than a doctor, but I have a reason for doing what I'm doing.

* * *

_"It's you again," a meek voice says, hiding behind the largeness of the tree. "What do you want?" she half hisses and half cries out._

_"Nothing," I tell her and take a seat, seeking shelter from the glaring sun, underneath the shade that this tree conveniently provides me. "Can't a guy rest here?" I ask, and close my eyes, trying to subject to slumber. But I can feel her gaze on me, it's burning through me, it's filled with an intense emotion I know not of, this continues for a while until I finally snap. "You're staring at me aren't you?"_

_I hear her squeak and obscure herself further from my view. "Juvia's sorry…Juvia didn't mean to stare…" I hear her mumbling what are supposed to be apologies._

_"Juvia? Is that your name?" I ask, turning around to meet her face, only to catch a glimpse of one of her ocean blue eyes. _

_Her hands rush to cover her mouth, as if uttering her own name was forbidden. "Juvi- I'm not supposed to talk…"_

_"It's okay," I say, reassuring her. "You can talk to me, I won't tell anyone," I say, taking a step forth, and to my surprise, she doesn't bother to hide as I take in her appearance. _

_She is pale, _very _pale. Her cheeks are rosy, due to her furious blushing. Her hair is blue enough to match her eyes, curled up at the end. She wears a heavy blue coat which is unusual, even if it is autumn. A small furry hat tops her head, tipping on the sides, as if it would fall at any moment. _

_Shocking as it is, it did fall…Juvia along with it. Luckily I managed to react fast enough to catch her. When she comes to, she sits up, blushing and bowing, mumbling out apologies at a ridiculously fast pace._

_"Juvia's sorry…" she apologizes, putting her hat back in place. "Juvia has a weak body, so she doesn't know when she might faint…please don't tell them…Juvia doesn't wanna go back to the hospital."_

_"Are hospital's really that bad?" I ask, wondering what made her hate them so._

_"It's not that…Juvia was never happy there…Everything was gray, I hate that color, there was never any color…life was so dull…" she reminisces a moment as tears threaten to fall from her eyes. "So please…don't tell…"I can see why she cries, a child needs freedom, needs to be able to see people, to see the world._

_"Idiot," I say, knocking off her hat. "I said I wouldn't tell, didn't I?" _

_"Thank you…thank you so much…" she says the tears from before running freely down her face. "Oh… Juvia forgot to ask for your name…"_

_I smirk at this. "I happen to be the color you hate so much."_

_"G…Gray?" she guesses and I nod. "Gray," she repeats, tasting the name on her lips. "Your name is Gray."_

_"That's right, Gray Fullbuster, don't you forget it," I grin. "One day, I'll be the best doctor in the world, so whenever you're sick, just come to me, kay?"_

_"Gray…" she murmurs my name. I am taken aback when her arms find their way around my torso. "Maybe that color isn't so bad…"_

* * *

Before I depart for Oak town, the town where we met, I stop by a shop, looking around, trying to find something she would like.

My eye catches a stuffed teru teru bozu and I smile. I shake my head, she's a grown woman, and she wouldn't like those sorts of things anymore.

But still, my eyes refuse to leave it, before I knew it, my hands reached out to grab it. I looked at it for a while; it's sewed on smile looking right back at me. After an intense staring battle, I set it back on the shelf and walk away. She wouldn't like those things.

In the end I ended up buying it.

I sigh as I toss the doll into the seat next to me and wonder what exactly drove me to buy that thing. As I hear the motor start up, I begin to vaguely remember. It's because of her.

* * *

_Three years had passed since I met her, I hadn't seen much of her besides under that tree, and eventually I began to wonder what her school life was like._

_"Juvia," I say, trying earnestly to get her wandering attention. _

_"Oh," she gasps, broken from her daydream. "Yes?"_

_"I've noticed for a while now that you never talk about your school…" I say, watching her for a reaction. "Any reason why?" I ask, trying to sound completely casual._

_"School…" she begins; I lean in, intently listening to what she would answer with. "School isn't exactly the best place for Juvia."_

_"Hm?" a sound escapes my lips involuntarily, asking Juvia for an explanation. I look to her, expecting her to either refuse or run away crying. So far, she has met none of these expectations._

_"Ever heard of a rain woman?" she asks me. But I stay silent, feeling that she would give the answer shortly. "They bring rain and gloominess with them wherever they go…gloomy…"_

_At this point, I am confused what rain and 'gloominess' has to do with school. But like a good friend, I remain silent until she finishes._

_"Juvia is apparently very similar to these so called 'rain women'," she explains quietly, opening up an umbrella, and holds it over me, protecting me from the downpour. "Lately, it seems to rain whenever Juvia goes out," she sighs._

_I smile as I realize what she had meant. I laugh and mock the people who would think that. So they gave her a hard time for having bad luck? How childish._

_I take hold of Juvia's umbrella and position it to cover both of us, despite the fact that Juvia is completely soaked. "Do you hate the rain?" I ask her._

_She shakes her head. "No, not at all, Juvia enjoys it but…everyone seems to be sick of it…Juvia wishes it would go away for a while," she answers. "Not forever, though," she quickly adds._

_"Hm…I see," I mutter. "You should get home before you catch a cold," I tell her._

_Her eyes instantly widen on this, for Juvia, even a small cold could be dangerous. I hand her the umbrella and she looks up to me with wide eyes. "But…Gray might get sick…: she quietly protests._

_I grin and tell her, "Don't worry, a cold can't hurt me, besides, I have something I need to do."_

_She nods and runs off, indirectly splashing water on me as she runs through the rain. After I deduced that she should be safe I go off home, wondering where Erza's sewing kit was._

_When I return the next day, Juvia is there waiting for me, she has a big smile on her face. _

_"Gray, guess what?" she says enthusiastically. "It didn't rain at all today! Juvia's classmates didn't get mad at her!" she announces as if it were a big achievement._

_"Do you like it?" I ask her. "The sun?"_

_She nods. "Yep! Juvia likes the rain too but the sun makes everyone happy!"_

_"Good," I say and throw her the result of one night of sewing. In her hands, she's holding a doll made out of white cloth, a sewed on smile and eyes adorning the face. "Do you know what that is?"_

_"Teru teru bozu*," she replies, sounding confused as to what to do with the gift which cost me getting pricked by needles one too many times._

_"Bingo," I say. "It's something for keeping the rain away," I tell her._

_She raises an eyebrow as if to say something, but notices my hands which were wrapped in bandages. She smiles and says. "Thank you Gray, if you made it, it will definitely work!"_

* * *

A ghost of a smile passes over my face as I remember that day. Juvia really believed it could work, every day after that she would bring it with her everywhere. How childish she was.

That smile disappears as I step on the breaks. Traffic jam. Just great, just great. I wonder how she's doing, is she also facing the same problem? No, not likely, she's always the first one there.

That, and she's deathly afraid of cars.

* * *

_It was during our first summer in high school. Juvia had managed to convince her parents to let her transfer from Phantom Lord to Fairy Tail. We were in second year that time, walking home after spending a relaxing hour or so under the sycamore tree. Juvia was talking about rather strange things, I had to stifle a laugh, she talked so much nonsense, it was amusing really._

_Juvia apparently hadn't been out that much. The red light was glaring on the side walk; Juvia ignored it, not knowing its meaning and took a step forward just as an incoming car sped up. My eyes widen as Juvia was mere seconds away from sudden death. _

_"Juvia!" I yell as I throw myself forward._

_I managed to push Juvia out of the way. I spared myself a moment to feel if my body was still intact. Head, good, arms, okay, legs, good – well _leg_. _

_"Gray!" she yells as she finally sees the state I am left in. "Your leg!" she gasps and shudders from the sight of blood. I prop myself up on my elbows and watch her hide her tears behind her pale hands. "It's Juvia's fault…it's all her fault…"_

_I sigh and ruffle her hair, a sign of affection that I have used on more than one occasion. "It was my choice, kay?" I tell her. "I'd do anything for a friend," I say._

_She smiles and dries her tears. By now I can hear the endless sounds coming from around. What a ruckus I must've caused. Juvia, without saying anything, lifts me up, putting my arm around her shoulder for support. Wordlessly, we cross the street, my bloody leg dragging on the ground behind me, painting the road a deep red color. _

_We manage to reach the hospital, the bleeding has long since stopped but the pain still lingers. I am rushed to the emergency room, even though over thirty minutes have passed since I've been injured. I watch as she presses her face against the clear screen that separates us, her concerned face is the last thing I see before the anesthetic seeps into my system, knocking me out into a cold, dark nothingness._

_When I wake, Juvia's smile greets me. I can feel something poking into my skin, probably the IV. Then I realize my situation._

_"Shit! How am I going to pay for all of this?" I curse. I begin to add the number of jobs I'd need to take to pay this off. What can I say? I was emancipated at a young age._

_Juvia giggles as she watches me with my somewhat crazy antics. "It's all right, Juvia took care of the bills," she tells me._

_"No, Juvia, you didn't have to," I say, suddenly feeling guilty._

_This time, she ruffles my hair and echoes the words that I told her earlier. "It was Juvia's choice, kay? Juvia would do anything for a friend."_

_She keeps me company for the rest of the day, Juvia chats with me about several things including her new fear of cars. Finally, she is ushered away by two nurses; she waves to me and leaves._

_Before I go to sleep, I hear some nurses chatting away quietly about the "cute couple". I smile to myself. Maybe one day…_

* * *

I manage to pass by Magnolia town, in doing so, I catch a glimpse of my old school, Fairy Tail high, and I can see that it's their annual festival today. Currently, girls are lining up on stage, smiling as brightly as they can. I guess it was time for the Miss Fairy Tail contest.

And so they begin the talent part. One girl juggles, another dance, another sings and so on. I begin to remember the year Juvia entered, that was pure chaos.

I step on the accelerator as traffic clears up.

It was chaos indeed.

Pandemonium.

* * *

_"You?" I ask, wide-eyed, my mouth threatening to drop open. "You entered Miss Fairy Tail?" _

_Juvia nods with a pretty little blush on her face as she fumbles around with the hem of her blouse. "Y-yes, Juvia thought it looked interesting and Mirajane said I could join," she explains._

_"Juvia," I say, calling her attention. "Do you know what these shows are like?"_

_She shakes her head for a no._

_I sigh and go on to explain what goes on in a beauty contest to a girl…yep, God broke the molds when he made the two of us._

_Her eyes widen in horror as I explain the talent show, the beauty, the final question and so on. By the time I'm done, she is trembling in fear._

_"What has Juvia done?"_

_"It'll be fine, it's just like a popularity contest," I tell her in which I receive a glare in return._

_"Gray, this is no joke!" she yells at me and throws in a punch. "Juvia will probably get laughed off stage," she says. "Juvia bets that no one will vote for her…"_

_Upon hearing that, I sigh and ruffle her hair just like I did many times before. "Idiot, you'll have at least one vote."_

_"Eh? Is that the best Juvia can do?" she asks and goes deeper into her depression, completely ignorant to what I meant. _

_"Let's see what happens shall we?"I muse to myself._

_Juvia pouts and storms off. I sigh to myself, if only she knew how cute that was._

_The next day, guys swarm towards the stage which holds the long awaited event: The miss Fairy Tail contest._

_Girls try to swoon the audience, showing as much skin as possible. I yawn as I watch round after round after girls come out in bikinis and swimsuits._

_My eyes widen as I see a certain blue haired friend of mine walk out wearing barely enough to cover her… "parts"._

_Yes, Juvia stands blushing on stage in a deep blue bikini, the bikini reveals how big her breasts are, I hear men cheering, she has won them over. I dare not to tear my eyes on the sight in front of me. For all I know, I might never be able to see her in a bikini again._

_She walks and joins the other contestants on the side and I stifle a yawn as the next on comes walking forward._

_It comes down to the talent part and I wonder what Juvia will do. As long as I've known her, I've never seen any of her talents if she does have any._

_When she does reappear, I am somewhat disappointed because she has changed out of her swimsuit and into a less revealing outfit: A frilly white skirt with ankle high boots and a blue spaghetti top. And from her wide collection of hats, she has chose a smaller blue one with a transparent butterfly._

_To my surprise, she pulls out a microphone and opens her lips. Yes, this quiet, shy, too afraid to speak girl is singing._

Will those warm feelings

never return?

Pieces of my dream

slip through

my fingers

But now, but somewhere distantly

I can feel love.

It may be a distant dream, a dim love but

once more, I love you.

Those shattered visions and traces of the past

once shined.

I turn my face

toward a song on the wind

but those days gone by have disappeared.

But now, love flows

through the depths of my heart.

A distant sky, a far-off time...but without a doubt

once more, I love you.

Don't say never again

because this melody I repeat in prayer

will reach you no matter how far apart we are...

Someday, sometime in a distant place

will we be able to share love?

It may be a distant dream, a dim love but

once more, I love you.

_Her song is met with a standing ovation as I stand there in astonishment. She has shared this side of her to other people, but to me she shows the shy stuttering side. Something's unfair here._

_Voting takes a while and finally the results are announced. The results are pretty much expected._

_First place: Erza Scarlet, the beautiful and strong Student council president._

_Second place: Lucy Heartfillia, the cute newbie._

_What DOES shock my is who came in third._

_Third place: Juvia Lockser, the shy beauty with a voice._

_We applaud as the top three parade around. I can see Juvia's cheeks painted with pink but her smile is forced. I wonder why._

_Juvia rejoins me, wearing the same attire when she sang. She looks almost downfallen and I can't help but ask why._

_"Oh, it's nothing…" she tells me. "By the way, who did Gray vote for?"_

_I chuckle as I realize that that is the reason for her sadness. I toss her a piece of paper and she clumsily catches it. "That's the ballot paper I used."_

_She looks at it and smiles as she reads what is written on it: Juvia Lockser._

_I ruffle her hair and she lets out a giggle. "No matter how talented they are or how pretty they are, you'll always be the number one girl in my eyes," I tell her. Wrapping my arm around her I make a suggestion. "Why don't I take you to lunch, my treat."_

_"Juvia accepts," she grins._

_"Then follow me, Miss Fairy Tail," I grin back._

_"Lead the way," she says and takes my hand._

_I wish I could've held that forever, the way it so perfectly fit in mine and the warmth I felt. It was something only she could give me._

* * *

I drive into the clearing as the sycamore tree comes into view. Before I park, I look around, searching for a woman with blue hair.

I kept my promise, I'm here.

The problem is: Did she?

* * *

_In our third year of high school* with graduation around the corner, I can't say that there weren't any problems._

_I was going to college for to get an MD. As for Juvia, I wasn't too sure._

_One afternoon, after graduation she pulled me aside and brought me to the sycamore tree._

_I was confused at this, seeing as she was silent the entire time. Finally, after ten minutes or so, she spoke._

_"Juvia…Juvia is leaving," she tells me. "Juvia…Juvia won't be able to see Gray anymore…" now I know why she won't face me: She's crying._

_"Idiot," I say and step forward, just enough to ruffle her hair. "It's a small world, you'll never know what'll happen." To my surprise, she grabs my hand and brings it to her chest, just above her heart which makes me blush like crazy. "Ju-Juvia, what are you doing?"_

_"Promise…" she whispers. "Promise me that ten years from now, no matter what happens, we'll find a way to meet again. Right here, under this sycamore tree."_

_I look at her crying face, looking up at me. "I promise."_

* * *

I smile as I see familiar blue hair, my lips open to form her name, but then I stop as I notice she's not alone. A silver haired man is talking with her, I can see her laughing. Her beautiful face hasn't changed abit, in fact, it's even more beautiful.

She notices me and calls out my name. "Gray!" Upon hearing this, the man she was talking to turns around, he greets me with a smile. She runs to me and takes me by my hand. "Come, I have someone I want you to meet," she tells me and I notice that she no longer uses her third person speech. "Gray, this is Lyon," she says gesturing to the silver haired man. "My fiancée."

I can feel something break in my heart as she said those words.

Stupid Gray….I should've known that she wouldn't wait for me…But seeing her smiling face, I try to force a smile.

"So, you're Gray," Lyon says, holding out a hand. "Thank you for looking after Juvia."

"My pleasure," I say, taking his hand. I watch as Juvia latches onto Lyon's arm and as they smile at each other. "So, when's the marriage ceremony?"

"Next week," Juvia answers happily. "Will you come?"

"Nah, sorry, I have work at the hospital," I say as a lame excuse.

"So you really became a doctor?" she asks, disbelievingly.

"Don't tell me you didn't think I could do it…"

"No, I believed you…"

"Juvia…" I start. "Congratulations!" I smile, despite the pain.

"Thank you…Gray…"

I look at my watch and say. "I guess I should get going…I'm…I'm really happy for you…" I say, my voice on the verge of cracking.

"I guess we should also go," says Lyon. "I'll go start the car."

"You go ahead, I need to talk to Gray a little longer," she says. Lyon nods and disappears.

"Gray," she says. "Do you know why I made you promise to meet me here ten years from then?" she asks me.

"Because you missed me?" I offer to which she replies no.

"Back then…I hoped that in ten years I would have enough courage to…" she blushes, though very lightly. "To say I love you." This surprises me and I almost laugh at the irony. "Though, it's kinda pointless now…seeing as I'm getting married and all," she tries laughing it off.

"I…I also love you," the words escape my lips without my permission.

"Gray…"

"Don't worry, I'm not trying to break up your marriage, I'm just saying what I came here to say," I tell her. "I really hope you'll be happy," I say the truth for once ever since coming here.

I feel Juvia lean forward and plant her lips on mine. "Thank you," she whispers. "Do you remember? You were the one who taught me how to say that."

"Yeah, I remember," I say.

Off in the distance I can hear a car horn. It is Lyon. "Sorry, Juvia should go now…"

"You go ahead, I think I'll stay for awhile."

I watch as she smiles and disappears from my sight and from my life. She has her own life now, there is longer any need for me to stay. But I stay and begin to climb the tree.

Once I get to the top, I sit there and watch the sunset.

Now I know what Juvia saw.

* * *

_It was a tiring day and I found a sycamore tree in which I leaned against, seeking shelter from the sun. I really did not expect what would happen next._

_"Ahhh!" I hear a girl scream and I look up, my sight is met with strawberry print panties. In less than a second, I find myself on the ground, a heavy weight on me. She blushes and gets off me, looking at me suspiciously. "Did you see anything?"_

_"Strawberries…" I murmur to which she blushes even more._

_"I can see that you're no liar," she says."Pervert."_

_"I never lie, anyway, is that how you should thank the person who cushioned your fall?"_

_"Thank?"_

_I sigh irritated. "Thank you, say it, thank you."_

_"Thank…you," she says, sounding confused._

_"See was that so hard?" I ask. "Next time someone helps you, you say thank you."_

_She smiles. "Thank you"_

_That was the first time I met Juvia Lockser._

* * *

I climb down and plant my feet on the ground. As I look up at the sycamore tree where words of love had been said, only one thought runs through my mind.

_Thank you old friend, because of you I got to meet the girl I love and because of you, I'm finally able to say goodbye to her._

_Goodbye…Juvia._

* * *

**Notes: Teru teru bozu literally means "shine shine monk"**

**Three years of high school. There are only three years of high in Japan.**

**Author's note: Usually I would write an ending where Juvia and Gray end up together, but it's different this time. I'm trying to show you that people can change with time. And there aren't always happy endings, and things don't always turn out the way you expect it. I was trying to put that moral in the story. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. I'm sorry to Gruvia fans (I'm one myself).**

**Rate, review, flame of fave!**


	2. I know

**I know**

A man with silver hair walked towards the man lying unconscious on the floor. With a gentle shake, she awoke.

"Juvia Lockser?" he asks with a gentle smile on his face.

I nod my head slowly. "Is Juvia…is Juvia dead?"

The man nods, a tinge of sadness etched on his brow. "I'm afraid so," he said. "But not to worry, we have given you another chance."

"How?" I ask. "Juvia is dead, isn't it against the rules to bring the dead back to life?"

The silver haired man just smiled at this. "It's a little more complicated than that…tell me, Miss Lockser, how was your love life?"

Juvia was somewhat offended by this. "Why do you need to know that? Mr. Angel?" I inquire, giving him the codename of 'Mr. Angel', it was quite a stretch but I decided to go with it.

He frowns slightly at the name I had given him. He just sighed as he continued to explain. "Well, you see Miss Lockser – "

"Juvia," I correct him.

"Juvia," he says, trying to please me. "When someone's life is incomplete, we send them back to complete whatever it is that they missed."

"Juvia understands," I lie, not really understanding what Mr. Angel had been implying.

"But you won't go back in your own body," he continues.

"So, Juvia will be a ghost?" I thought about it. Would I be able to walk through walls and fly? I wouldn't mind it one bit.

"Not exactly, we've made an exception for you," he trailed off and gave up on trying to explain. "It's better if you do it yourself…be careful, once you're there, you will go through immense pain…"

A light blinds me and I felt as though I were falling.

* * *

"Ah!" I scream, expecting to land on a floor, or a board, or any flat surface that would physically injure a person.

But, to my surprise, I land in a bed. I blink several times, trying to confirm if I wasn't hallucinating. I tested out the body I had been given, earthly or ethereal, it didn't matter to me. My limbs seemed to be working, as did my other body parts. I felt fine, no immense pain whatsoever

Why was I here? What was missing? I had a happy life…Mr. Angel mentioned something about my love life. Was that it? Was my love life incomplete?

Shrugging, I search through the wardrobe of whoever owned them room and decided to wear a blue shirt with a white skirt and put on some boots to match. Surely I looked presentable enough.

I went out of the house and started wandering around town. Was this Magnolia? It looked like Magnolia but it seemed…different.

I decided to visit the guild. Did anything change? I hope not.

Peeking in, I see the guild as busy as ever, Mirajane is cleaning the bar, Natsu is fighting, Erza is eating cake…everything seems normal, but something is missing. More like, _someone _is missing…but who?

Then it strikes me. Gray! Oh Gray, the man I had been in love with for so long. How is he? Is he well? A sad feeling takes over my heart as I realize that I have still not accepted my death. I miss him…

"Natsu?" I call out the dragon slayer's name, trying to call his attention.

"Huh?" he looks at me confused. "What is it?"

"Have you seen Gray?" I ask, at the same time, my eyes search the room if he might be here.

"Oh…" his voice turns into a dangerously low tone. "It's best to leave him alone…you know…because of what happened."

What did happen? What happened while I was dead? What could bring Gray into such misery?

"I still want to know where he is," I say clearly, begging my voice not to use 'Juvia'. This was a time to be serious, not childish.

Natsu gives in. "Fine, he should be in the cementary…" he says.

"Thanks Natsu!" I give him a formal handshake and run off.

Natsu was true to his word; I spotted Gray sitting quietly at a gravestone. I approach him and wonder who the grave belongs to. Was it a friend? Someone special?

"Gray…are you alright?" the words find their way out of my mouth.

He turns to me, his eyes are red from crying and his hair is disheveled. "Juvia…" he murmurs.

I smile and kneel down to give him a hug. "It will be okay…I'm here now…" I say, trying to comfort him.

"You don't understand, Lucy! I just miss her so damn much!" his tears increase as he tries to hold it in.

His words strike through my and I use one of my free hands to pull down a strand of my hair. It was blonde. I looked at my skin, it was tanner than usual. I cupped Gray's face so I could look into his eyes.

As I suspected, when I looked into his eyes, I didn't see myself, I saw Lucy.

The thought was enough to break my heart. Gray would never see me as Juvia now. I was Lucy to him.

"Lucy?" he asks.

I smile again, this time it's forced. "It's okay," I pull him back into a hug. "I know you miss her, so cry…let it all out."

He did as he was told and I felt my shirt dampen from his tears. I was hurt in several ways; one, Gray was sad, it wasn't like him. Two, I wasn't Juvia anymore. Three, as long as I was here, I would never be Juvia.

Is this what Mr. Angel meant by 'going through immense pain'? Because I'll tell you, it sure hurt like hell right about now.

"It's okay," I stroke his soft hair. "It will be okay."

Unknowingly, tears leave my eyes without my permission. Gray notices this and looks at me – no, not me…he looks at Lucy.

"Do you miss her too?" he asks me.

That was the trigger. I started bawling like a baby and this time, Gray was the one to comfort me. "I miss Juvia!"

He hugged me. Though, he was hugging Lucy unintentionally…this was enough…even if he didn't know it was me…just his hug would be enough.

So, once we are done crying, we turn to face the grave, it's my grave. I run my fingers over it, reading the words engraved.

_Juvia Lockser _

_Born: X767 Died: X784_

_Guild member of Fairy Tail. Loving team mate…_

I read it some more and realized that the guild members had left some remarks.

_Gajeel: One hell of a woman_

_Erza: She was strong indeed_

_Makarov: She was one of my children…_

And so on and so on. But I realized that Gray hadn't written anything there.

"Gray?"

"Yes?"

"Everyone else wrote on Juvia's gravestone…why didn't you?" I ask, wondering why Gray, out of all people wouldn't write something about me. Weren't we close? Weren't we friends?

"Oh…wouldn't it be disrespectful to write on someone's gravestone?" he says as a lame excuse.

I look him in the eye. "The real reason."

He hesitates for a moment. "Fine…I didn't know what to write."

"You could have at least written something like 'good friend and team mate'," I pout.

"That's the problem," he grunts. "I don't know what Juvia is to me."

"Well…did you like her?"

He nods.

"Was she special?"

He nods again.

I smile and held Gray's hand, putting a little magic in his finger. "Then tell her the best thing you can say to her."

I guide his hand over my gravestone and hear my heart beat in my ears as I form words with his hands.

"I love you."

I drop his hand and read the new addition to my gravestone.

_Gray Fullbuster: I love you_

I smile in satisfaction.

"Lucy…thank you…" he blushes slightly.

I feel as if something is pulling me upwards. Was that it? Was my life complete? This was my last chance…I did something I never would have done while I was alive: I kissed him.

"Lucy!" he is shocked.

I am pulled up and my feet are hovering above ground. I feel my hair return to normal and I see my blue locks flow over my shoulders. My skin becomes paler and I smile. At least Gray finally saw me.

"Juvia!" he reaches for me but fails. I am too high up. As I ascend I look down on him and smile. "I love you!" I hear him yell.

I say the best thing I can to that: "I know you do."

My head soars above the clouds and Gray is now out of sight.

* * *

"Are you happy now?" asks a familiar voice.

"Mr. Angel!" I say, still feeling excitement from Gray's words. I hug him and he pats my back. "Oh! I forgot to ask, what is your name?"

"Lyon," he says.

I hold out and hand and he shakes it. "It's nice to meet you Lyon."

"Are you ready now?"

A white light begins to glow and I stare at it. My grip on his hands tighten.

"Lyon?"

"Yes?"

"Let's get along."

He chuckles at this.

"Let's."

He takes my hand and leads me into the light. I feel in utter bliss as Gray's words replay in my mind. I wonder if he knows I love him too.

* * *

**Gray's POV**

"I know you do," she says and disappears completely.

I am still staring at the sky, wondering where she has gone.

"Gray?" it's Natsu's voice. "Are you feeling better?"

I flash him a grin. "Of course I am, flame head!"

"What was that you porn star!"

I start laughing in my head as we argue. Erza comes shortly and drags us to the guild. The guild is surprised at my happy demeanor. Was I back to normal? Probably not. Was I better? Yes. Would I get better? Definetely.

"Gray! I love you!" I turn around. Juvia? No, it was my imagination.

I chuckle and think to myself.

_I know._

**Author's note: Well, you probably noticed that my writing style changed. The main reason for that was because I wrote 'Meet me under the sycamore tree' last year. By the way, if you want to know if Juvia ends up with Lyon...well, use your imagination.**_  
_


	3. When it Rains

**When it Rains**

**(Part one) **

"Hey squirt!"

I felt annoyed as a large hand ruffled my hair. I looked towards the culprit; his brown hair framed his face and flew about when a draft suddenly entered the room, currently he towering over me. I glared into his dark eyes which were reminiscent of a dog. The other person in the room which was my older brother noticed my discomfort.

"Leave him alone Toby," he said.

He ruffled my hair one last time before following my brother upstairs to do God-knows-what. I sighed and left to play in the park, this always happened whenever Toby would come over. Anyway, I believe some introduction is needed here.

My name is Gray Fullbuster, my brother is Lyon Bastia and the jerk you met earlier was Toby. Am I forgetting something? Oh right, I'm twelve while they're both sixteen. You may think it's not such a big age gap but for me it is. With me being four years younger I'm basically at the bottom of the food chain.

"Hey Gray, could you push Juvia on the swing?" a voice piped up from across the park.

That was 'little Juvia Loxar' as they call her, was my annoying eleven year old neighbor. You might think I'm obsessing with ages a little but trust me, when you're twelve, it matters a lot.

"Sure," I reply and run over to the swings that were freshly painted with a bright yellow.

Juvia was already sitting and pushing himself slowly with her feet. I crept up behind her and placed my palms onto her back and gently pushed her forward. I pushed her again and again, by now my hands were stinging and Juvia almost went above the frame of the swing set. It was a wonder that she hadn't fallen off yet, or at the very least be afraid of falling.

Caught in a daze, I did not notice Juvia coming back. I am quite ashamed to say that I wasn't able to dodge in time. I felt my torso being pushed down and I let out a gasp as I struggled for air. Though I'm not sure how he managed to do it, Juvia was kneeling next to my body, shaking my shoulders violently.

The white fluffy clouds darkened and it started to rain. Juvia's reaction was incredulous. She shook my body violently, yelling.

"Gray! Gray! Come on!" she yelled over and over again. She looked desperate as her blue hair flew in every direction, her eyes were wide and her voice was hysterical. "Gray!"

I opened my mouth and tried to talk but no sound came out. I gave up my pathetic attempt to speak and went back to breathing. _In, out, in, out, _I repeated in my head. I was stronger than this, I _should _be stronger than this. Would I fall so easily after getting hit by a mere swing?

I was startle when I felt my body being lifted off the ground. You could imagine my surprise when Juvia, who was constantly teased because of her weak body, lifted me up and started running like crazy. I didn't resist, I wasn't stupid; I knew when I needed help.

My eyes darted to the door that came into view, it was all white and worn out from the years. Rust started to show on the silver doorknob. This door was familiar, mainly because it the door to my house.

Juvia didn't knock or ring the doorbell or do anything to alert the inhabitants that she was entering our home. She just barged in and started yelling for my brother to come down.

"Lyon! Help!" she yelled.

Now I'll admit, if I were one of the people in the house I'd be aggravated at Juvia for barging in. But, being the victim _and _being saved by her, I thought it was kind of…sweet.

Hey, I'm twelve, I mean nothing more than that.

Lyon came running down the stairs looking pissed off but it changed as soon as he saw me writhing in pain…in the arms of a girl.

"What happened?" he rushed over and took…well, _forced _me out of Juvia's pale arms.

He quickly picked me up and set me on the counter. Despite my brother being rude and all, he believed that he was a gentleman and that we should never cause ladies discomfort…I guess her carrying me here was one of those so called "discomforts".

Juvia began tearing up as she started explaining what happened. As my brother treated me, she babbled on and apologized with that red face of hers. As soon as Lyon was done with me, he patted Juvia on the head and told her not to cry. She looked up and smiled back, her face still flushed but the tears had stopped.

Juvia looked better when she smiled.

That's probably one of the reasons why I made a silent vow: Never to make Juvia cry.

Toby entered the scene and started freaking out. Juvia knowing nothing about the raving lunatic did what she could: cry. Lyon quickly ushered a confused Toby out of the room and my vow became longer.

Kill anyone that makes her cry.

* * *

**That's part one of "When it rains". I think I lost my touch in writing...Anyway, review, fave, flame. Whatever fits your fancy *bows***


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